56 pushups
run Mt. Rose summit twice 20 miles 4:16:09

55 pushups

Somewhere in a 5k, there is that feeling of hurt nausea, “why the hell am I doing this shouldn’t I take up competitive rock skipping? feeling that washes over you. Go out too fast and this sentiment comes at a mile, mile and a quarter. Go out more conservatively and it sneaks up on you at two miles. That difference of three to five minutes can seem like a lifetime in the middle.

55 pushups
run 10 miles 1:23:43

Run with your hips high and forward.

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54 pushups
run 12 miles 1:40:27

Ideally, the hips should be as far forward as possible (within reason) because the hips are more or less where the centre of mass is. As we described the other day, if you land well in front of your centre of mass, you decelerate. That's one reason why when you run downhill, you feel like you are jarring much more. If you want to speed up on a downhill, you know what to do - simply lean forward. Not at the shoulders, but by getting your whole body tilted forward just a little. That means getting your hips in front. In otherwords, all runners know that when running down hill, they can control speed by moving their hips. Slowing down involves "sitting back", or dropping the hips slightly.

Applying the same principle to running every where else, if you can just learn the habit of keeping your hips "high" then you will always be in this position. In otherwords, don't "sit" and run at the same time - get your centre of mass up and forward, if you can. This is not easy, it requires quite strong core muscles, and so that's why runners often benefit from some Pilates or gym training in this area. But the take home message is the same - get the hips up and lean forward if you want speed.

One of the biggest mistakes made by runners is to lean forwards at the shoulders. The problem if you do this is that you hips actually go backwards! This means that by putting the shoulders forwards, you even less likely to be in a position to harness gravity to go forward. This is most noticeable on uphills, where the temptation is to lean forward, hunched over. Not only does this hinder breathing, but it actually destroys your efficiency. Rather concentrate on leaning from the ankles, so that your hips are forward. It sometimes even helps to pull your shoulders back, as though you are standing in the upright, soldier 'at attention' position.

54 pushups

run relaxed, run quiet, fast leg turnover

There is a drill that I do with my runners at Selah High School called silent running. I have them run on the track as quiet as possible. With the feet landing properly very little noise should be heard.

54 pushups
run 10 miles (Steamboat) ~1:28:00

53 pushups
run 20.85 miles 3:55:58 (TRT Tahoe Meadows, with some messing around, to 1 mile past Twin Lakes)

53 pushups

"We do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard" John F. Kennedy

53 pushups
run 10 miles (8 miles tempo)

Good running cues: "fast feet", "shoulders low", "run with your arms"

Relax. "While running, go over your body from head to toe and ask yourself, 'Am I relaxed in the eyes? Am I relaxed in the jaw? Am I relaxed in the neck and shoulders? Am I relaxed in the arms and hands? Am I relaxed in the hips, in the knees, in the ankles, in the feet?' You may find some tight areas that may lead to better economy if fixed."

Jog in place. You'll be landing on the ball of your foot. That's what it feels like to be a midfoot striker. How stay up there and jog in place and lean over and slowly accelerate over the next 50 yards or so and don't go so fast that you forget to stay up there and land on the ball of your foot.

52 pushups
treadmill 10 incline 1 hour 3.60 miles

“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.” Unknown

52 pushups
run 10 miles 1:28:32

52 pushups
row 5000 meters 21:04

Write the alphabet (capital letters) in the air with your toes to keep ankles and shins healthy.

52 pushups
Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon 1:33:44
(8th out of 132 in age group - top 6%)
(73rd overall out of 2634 - top 3%)

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51 pushups
run 4 miles

51 pushups
row 5000 meters 19:57.5

"You've got to love to suffer as much as you love the feeling of having done it." Steve Ilg

51 pushups
run 5 miles

Thus, I have decided to use a run/walk approach based on the following information about my running and walking capabilities. Generally, I seem to run very comfortably at a 10 min pace and walk at a 20 minute pace. If I assume 20 aid stations with an average of 3 minutes each, my stops will total one hour. I hope to finish under 24 hours. This leaves 23 hours of running and walking. For the mathematicians on the list this gives two formulae (x+y=100 and 10x + 20y = 23*60). Solving y=38 (i.e. 38 miles walking and 62 miles running). This gives 38*20=760 minutes (12.6 hours) walking and 62*10=620 minutes (10.3 hours) running.

The first time I did this calculation, I was very surprised with the amount of walking I could do and still finish under 24 hours.

51 pushups

"I haven't written a book on how to train because my book would be less than one page long. It would say alternate hard and easy days, have one long run a week and do at least one session of speedwork a week." Frank Shorter

51 pushups
run 8 miles (river) 58:53

"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." Henry Ford

51 pushups

"The iron ore feels itself needlessly tortured as it passes through the furnace. The tempered blade looks back and knows better."

51 pushups
run 10 miles (rubicon)

50 pushups
run 10 miles 1:18:06

You should always feel relaxed and smooth when you run. Even when you are running fast, it should feel like water flowing downhill.

...
The key to striders is to accelerate smoothly up to full speed, and then hold your maximal speed without straining. Because your arms and legs move in sync, you may find that you can increase your leg cadence by increasing the tempo of your arms. Focus on moving your legs and arms slightly faster, but not straining. To increase your cadence, it often helps to shorten your stride slightly and concentrate on bringing your foot down quickly with each step. After a few sessions, you will find that you can achieve faster leg turnover without shortening your stride.

Striders not only increase your stride rate, they also lead to improved running technique. Many distance runners have sloppy running form such as tension in the arms and shoulders, overstriding or not getting power out of their gluteal (butt) muscles. Striders are an excellent way to improve running technique because running fast accentuates style flaws. Striders train you to run fast but relaxed, while focusing on good running form. To improve your running technique, focus on one or two aspects of good running form during each strider. For example, concentrate in turn on relaxing your neck, shoulders, and arms, pushing off the balls of your feet, not leaning forward or back, and so on.

...
To boost your stride rate, focus on your cadence during one easy run per week. Stay relaxed and try to glide over the ground. Also, pump your arms a little faster and your legs will follow.

50 pushups
stepmill 45 minutes 271 floors

50 pushups
run 8 miles (Steamboat) 1:11:31

50 pushups
run 10 miles (8 miles tempo) tempo time - 7:37/mile pace

"Mentally, I think the biggest thing I've gotten out of this 10K is that I've learned to kind of just shut my mind off during the race and not think about laps or pace." Chris Solinsky, 10,000m American record holder

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50 pushups
run 10 miles (rim trail) 1:52:09

"The only thing that really separates the guys who make it through from the guys who don't are those three words: Just don't quit." Craig Weller

50 pushups
run 20 miles (flume trail) 3:17:18

"Race by effort, not by pace." Ryan Hall

50 pushups
row 5000 meters 19:40.3

46 pushups
run Mt. Rose 11.05 miles 2:30:02 (summit 1:19:45)